To: David Miller <d.miller@leeds.ac.uk >
From: Ami Isseroffwww.mideastweb.org
——————————————————-
Dear David,
I appreciate your concern. Unfortunately it is impossible – and we certainly do not have the resources – to refute or confirm every claim made by particles of one side or another.

The PLO press agency WAFA claimed that Israel is irradiating people at checkpoints with a diabolical Zionist device. Actually it is a low-energy radar device of some sort made in USA that passed all the medical criteria for safety.

The PLO Press WAFA and the PNA minister of health claim that Israel dumped 80 tons of nuclear waste in Nablus.

The Guardian and many other papers ran stories in 2002 claiming Israel had killed 500 people in Jenin.

Atrocity stories are spread even by “reputable” sources.

The proper place to refute an article in a medical journal is another article in a medical journal and the proper person to do it is a forensic pathologist. Another appropriate venue and channel is the IDF spokesman.

While this man can believe whatever rubbish he likes, I think it is very bad when BMJ publishes a political article with unsubstantiated allegations. At least that much can be noted in letters to their editors.

I believe that ” soldiers are routinely authorized to shoot to kill children in situations of minimal or no threat ” is an intentional lie. He could have known that it is false because the regulations about opening fire (‘hora’ot pticha be’esh’) are regularly discussed in Israeli media whenever there is a case of a “doubtful” shooting.

However, just because MEW states it doesn’t mean anyone will believe it.
From my experience, nothing convinces fanatics. When we write that the Israelis did something wrong, the Zionist fanatics say we are anti-Zionists. When we write that the Palestinians did something wrong, their fanatics say that we are Zionist racists who support the occupation. However, a letter to the editor somewhere can possibly make neutral people think about it a bit.

Does he substantiate this claim with quotes from soldiers or from a manual? Suppose he finds one or two such cases, is that routine? If he finds even one case and proves it then it will do more damage than the original statement.

I am sure that if he says 100 children aged 15 or younger died from sniper wounds, there is a basis. IDF has caught suicide bombers of about that age and there were even two wannabe suicide bombers who were much younger as I recall. There are also mistakes and ricochets. Someone’s gun went off by mistake and he killed a pregnant woman. He committed suicide.

There are also children who are killed by THEIR snipers. People who are in the wrong place when there is a war can get killed.

Sorry I cannot be of greater assistance.

Sincerely,
Ami Isseroff
www.mideastweb.org

—– Original Message —–
From:David Miller
To:mew@mideastweb.org
Sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 12:53 PM
Subject: Deaths of Palestinian children

Dear Sir/Madam
Derek Summerfield’s opinion piece in a recent edition of the British Medical Journal( http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/329/7471/924?ijkey=c7b88fe81cf2cba4710713e3fed9e54a3c506f68&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha&eaf )and the inevitable correspondence that it created, makes uncomfortable reading. Dr Summerfield is no friend of Israel and his views are too strident to be taken at face value. However, I do take them seriously which is why I am very keen to investigate his claims for myself.

In particular, he alleges that since 2000, at least 100 children under the age of 15 have died from sniper wounds and quotes various sources for this in his follow-up correspondence. His claim that “soldiers are routinely authorized to shoot to kill children in situations of minimal or no threat” seems absurd to me, but then without accurate information, I have no way of judging the matter for myself.

It strikes me that Mideastweb is an impartial voice that tries its level best to report the situation on the ground accurately and without bias. I wonder if you could help me on this matter or put me in touch with someone who can (Ami Isseroff?) It is currently of some importance given my involvement in reversing the boycott of Israeli Universities by my union (AUT).

Yours faithfully

David Miller

Senior Lecturer (Molecular Andrology)
Reproduction and Early Development Research Group
University of Leeds
United Kingdom
Tel +44 (0) 113 392 3882 or or +44 (0) 778 717 5765
FAX +444 (0)113 392 6021